Apple Inc. (AAPL) Aims To Poach BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY) Workers

Since BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) announced that it would lay off thousands of workers, startup companies in Canada have been snapping them up, but they’re not the only ones. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is interested in BlackBerry alums as well, according to Armina Ligaya and Matt Hartley of the Financial Post (via The Province).

Apple moves in on BlackBerry workers

It sure is nice that after putting BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) out of business, Apple is willing to give the almost-defunct company’s cast-offs a new home. Apple apparently held a recruitment drive not far from BlackBerry’s home base in Waterloo, Ont. just days after the company announced it was slashing its workforce by 40 percent.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s recruitment drive was held at the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre on Sept. 26, and the company invited tech talent living in the region to attend. Of course the ultimate goal is to draw in workers to its Silicon Valley headquarters.

Apple’s jobs based in Cupertino

An invitation sent via LinkedIn to a BlackBerry employee and obtained by the Financial Post indicated that the majority of positions Apple is hiring for are located at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters. The company said it would provide “relocation and immigration assistance” for any workers who need assistance in those areas.

Intel also hiring BlackBerry workers

In addition to Apple, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) also held a recruitment drive aimed at luring BlackBerry workers. The semiconductor’s information session was held on Sept. 28 and 29 at the Holiday Inn Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel and Conference Centre. Intel invited BlackBerry employees, telling them that it was looking for engineers for its Mobile and Communications Group.

Other attempts to hire BlackBerry workers

Jack Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter Inc (TWTR) said last month that Square, the mobile payments company he also helped co-found, would set up an engineering office right in BlackBerry’s hometown of Waterloo. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Motorola Mobility division is also apparently setting up an engineering division in Waterloo.

The only question now is whether these companies which are actually setting up shop in and around BlackBerry’s hometown will have an advantage over companies like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), which is trying to lure workers away from the region entirely.